


Will you catch me when I fall?

by crownoflavender



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Flash Thompson Bullies Peter Parker, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Peter Parker, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Tony Stark, Recovery, Self-Harm, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:24:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23410063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownoflavender/pseuds/crownoflavender
Summary: Peter Parker is falling down and down. He feels that there is no one to help him. Enter Tony Stark. Can he step up to help, or will he fall too?
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is an idea that has been floating around in my head for a bit and I thought I'd write it out and post it here! I hope you enjoy it and please comment below (only constructive criticism if it's criticism). :)

“Hey Penis Parker!”

Peter’s side slammed into the line of lockers, and he let out a groan of pain as the stitches in his thigh stretched. How was he meant to know that the mugger would move so fast? And, it really wasn’t fair that he had called in his gang to help. The pain hurt, but the worst of it was keeping it from Aunt May. She didn’t deserve all the problems that they had, and Peter wasn’t going to be the one who added to the pile. Although, in a way, he already had.

“Hey Penis! Is Tony Stark going to come and help? I’d love to meet him. I’m dying to ask him who you are and be able to bask in the moment when he says, ‘Who is that?’.”

Peter slid to the floor, curling up to protect himself and a kick smacked into his rib cage. He desperately wished that Tony would come and save Peter from the villain known as Flash Thompson, a fifteen-year-old boy from Midtown High. Internally, he groaned again, and pushed down more thoughts of calling Tony, just to see the look on Flash’s face when he walked in through the doors.

“Anyway, Penis, even if the internship is real – which it obviously isn’t – Tony Stark is obviously just waiting for a time to get rid of you. Aren’t we all? Can’t you work that out, with your ‘genius’ brain Parker? Nobody wants you here.”

At this, Peter’s breath hitched, and he scrambled to his feet. He swung around to face Flash. “Y-You-You’re wrong… You’re wrong Flash” Peter’s voice was trembling, quiet, but there were strands of defiance weaved into it. In the sleeves of his too-big hoodie, his hands curled into fists, hoping, praying, pleading that Flash would back off.

“Parker, Parker, Parker. Look around you.” Flash’s voice held a triumphant tone, waiting just long enough to deliver the final word. “Where are they?”

At this, Peter knew he had to get out. He turned, and stumbling from the pain in his sides, ribs, legs, everywhere, and made his way to the restroom. He lurched into the final stall and locked the door. Curling up on the seat, he let the tears fall down his face as he cradled his side. Flash may not have super-human strength, but sometimes it felt like he did. At the very least, he had some sort of freaky mind-reading powers. It was like Flash always knew just what to say to get under Peter's skin, to break down his defenses and to turn him into a sniveling mess.

In the back of his mind, Peter knew Flash was wrong. He knew that Ned just had the flu and MJ was off visiting her Dad. He knew when he got to the Tower, Tony would call him kid and they would work together until all the bad things went away. He knew that he would go home to May this evening and she would hug him, then they would laugh at her attempts at cooking before getting take-out.

So, if Peter knew that, why did he not believe it?

What if Ned was lying to him, and just didn’t want to have to come into school today to talk to him? What if him and MJ were spending the day together instead, without him? What if when Tony joked and teased Peter, it wasn’t a joke? What is May resented him for not taking the bullet for Uncle Ben? What if they all wanted him gone? What if? What if? What if?

Peter’s life was full of unanswered questions, but none of them scared him as much as those. None of them scared him as much as the idea of everyone just wanting him gone, and not caring whether he was there or not. He knew he was falling down and down. He knew he had no idea where he would land. Peter just wanted his mind to be quiet. And he only knew one way to make that happen. The first scratch of nails into the skin of his forearm was a relief. The screaming in his head stopped and the slight pain was all that remained. He relished it. He wanted more.

\----- 

By the time the bell for first period rang, Peter Parker was sitting in his seat for AP Chemistry. Nothing was wrong from first glance, apart from redder eyes than normal. There was no way anyone would see him as anything other than the model student, taking diligent notes and keeping quiet.

Under his hoodie sleeve, the red lines remained. No one could know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Stark was having a good day, until a conversation with Happy. This doesn't exactly ruin his good mood, but leaves him feeling confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with a second chapter for you all! Feel free to comment below, as it really makes my day :)

Tony Stark was having a good day.

  
He had woken up at a reasonable time, having actually slept in a bed the night before. Okay, he only got four hours of sleep, but that was four more than he normally got. He did not wake up next to Pepper, but he rarely did, as she was always up so early running… It was more her company now – the only things he gave were designs and the name of it all. 

  
After breakfast, it was back down to the workshop, tinkering around with the suits rather than stressing over the StarkPad or the StarkPhone or whatever hair-brained scheme he came up with next. Really, he might complain to Pepper all the time, but he _much_ preferred the role of simple engineer/mechanic to running the whole company. A couple of hours working on smoothing the landing functions with FRIDAY, before a hurried lunch with Pepper before her next business meeting. Tony still remembers the sheer boredom he felt in those meetings, and reminded himself how lucky he was to have her. He might save the whole world, but she saved his.

\-----

As the clock ticked closer and closer to the end of the kid’s school day, Tony got more and more anxious. Sighing, he put down the screwdriver and rubbed at his right shoulder, grunting at the tension he felt there. Oh well. It was nothing that wouldn’t go away eventually.

  
“Hey FRI? Get Happy down here, asap.”

  
“On it, boss,” the automated voice of his AI echoed around the room as the elevator numbers began to flash, indicating progress upwards “Happy Hogan has arrived.”

  
“Hey Tony. You wanted to see me?” Happy looked confused, as Tony rarely called him down to the workshop at this time of day.

  
“Oh, come on Happy! Can’t a man just want to see his friend/bodyguard/driver? Anyway, just checking that you were going to get the kid?”

  
“Tony, it’s unlikely that anyone would forget him. I was actually just heading down to get him now before you called me.” Happy paused, realizing something. A slow smile spread across his face. “Tony… You really care for him, don’t you?”

  
Tony opened his mouth to deny it, but the words got stuck in his throat. Happy took his silence as conformation.

  
“Does Pepper know you’ve got a child now?” 

  
These words snapped Tony out of his confused state. “No, no Happy. He’s not my child, and I’m sure that he definitely doesn’t think of me like that. Anyway, I’m his mentor, not his…” His voice trailed away, refusing to finish the sentence, trying to deny anything that might make Tony more like Howard.

  
“Whatever you say Tony. Whatever you say.” And with that, Happy turned and took the elevator down to the garage.

  
As soon as he had gone, Tony collapsed onto the stool next to him, groaning as he put his head down onto the bench. His thoughts were spiraling around in circles, down and down. Thoughts of Peter Parker, one of the best things in his life. Thoughts of Howard, one of the worst things that had been in his life. Thoughts of Peter, excited face grinning up at him, proud to have figured out some extra-hard problem even he couldn’t solve. Thoughts of Howard, turning away in disappointment, leaving him alone in the dark. They mixed together, Peter and Howard, Howard and Peter, Peter and Howard, Howard and Peter and _stop it Tony_. Stark men were made of iron. He had to pull himself together.

  
Squeezing his eyes shut, Tony not-so-gently thumped his head onto the workbench in front of him. Again. Again. Then he sat up, grabbing the screwdriver again, ready and waiting. 

  
Waiting for the best part of his week to come bounding in through those doors.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's ride to the Avenger's Tower with Happy was somewhat eventful, but only for Peter's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, it's me, back with another chapter! :)

Peter climbed into the car at the end of the school day, feeling the bruises over his ribcage more than ever as he tried to hide them from Happy’s watchful eye. He plastered on a fake smile and waved towards the driver’s seat.

  
“Hey Mister Happy! How are you today? I’m feeling really good even though we had a Spanish quiz, but I think it went okay! What have you been doing? How’s Mister Stark? Do you know what we’ll be doing in the lab today? Oh! I almost forgot to tell you- “ Peter stopped talking as the partition between them was raised by a not-so-happy Happy. He glanced down at his watch to see that it had only been around 20 seconds since he got into the car. A new record.

  
Peter glanced back up to see his face reflected in the barrier back at him. He looked terrible. No wonder no one had voluntarily talked to him all day at school. Apart from Flash, but does it really count as talking if its his foot and your ribs that make the most contact? He leaned back to thump his head onto the headrest and became aware of the fact that he had been scratching at his arm for quite some time now. Peter frowned and made a conscious effort to stop. He didn’t want Happy telling Tony that he thought something was wrong.

  
Tony. After what Flash had said today, he was sure Tony was just looking for an excuse to get rid of him. Who would want Peter anyway, when you could have literally anyone else? Maybe Flash was right. Happy had shut the partition again, but maybe it wasn’t because he liked the peace and quiet, but because _he couldn’t handle talking to Peter_. Ned was off school with the flu, but maybe it wasn’t because he was actually sick, but because _he couldn’t handle talking to Peter_. MJ wasn’t in, because _she couldn’t handle talking to Peter_. Tony would send him home as soon as he got to the Tower, because _he couldn’t handle talking to Peter_.

  
Peter was falling again, just like earlier, but only this time it was a thousand times worse, because Happy was there. Frantically, Peter looked around to find a handhold to reality. Something for him to hold onto, something to keep him from slipping downward into the pit, something to keep him as Peter Parker. Something to keep him from losing himself completely. There was one thing, and he knew that it would work. It always worked. 

  
\-----

  
“Come on Parker. We haven’t got all day.”

  
Happy’s grumbling tone snapped Peter out of it. He was being annoying again, and now Happy liked him even less than before. He bit down on his lip as he clambered out of the car and shut the door.

  
“Well Parker, you know where the elevator is. I’ll drive you back to your Aunt’s apartment when you and Tony are done.” 

  
Peter nodded in response, his fake smile already back in position. He could tell that Happy was itching to get away from him.

  
“Okay, thank you Mr Happy! I’ll see you later!” 

  
Happy had already driven away before Peter had finished, so he dropped the smile and limped over to the elevator. He was pretty sure he had broken the stitches on his thigh when he had dug his fingers in to re-open the wound. Hopefully he would be able to keep it a secret. 

  
Peter wasn’t scared to lose the suit again. No, he knew he could handle it, as Spider-man was there even when the suit was not. Peter was scared to lose their lab time together. He was scared to lose their inside jokes. He was scared to lose _Tony_.

\-----

The elevator doors began to open, and Peter Parker was standing there with what appeared to be a big smile on his face. No one could know how he really felt.


End file.
